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Game of Thrones (TV series)
Game of Thrones is an American fantasy drama television series produced by the HBO cable network. It is based on the novel series A Song of Ice and Fire, written by George R.R. Martin, who serves as a producer, creative consultant and scriptwriter on the television series. David Benioff and D.B. Weiss created the television series and serve as executive producers, showrunners and main writers. To date, the series consists of five seasons, each consisting of ten hour long episodes each. Production of the series is based in Belfast, Northern Ireland, mainly at the Paint Hall Studios. It is the largest and most expensive television production ever mounted in Northern Ireland. Filming for the series has also been conducted in Malta, Iceland, Croatia, Morocco, Spain, and the USA. Premise The series is set in a world where the seasons can last for years at a time. The main setting is the continent of Westeros, which was home to seven feuding kingdoms until they were united by the Targaryen family using dragons some three centuries ago. The dragons died out and the Targaryen Mad King was unseated in a civil war led by Lords Robert Baratheon, Eddard Stark, Jon Arryn. and Hoster Tully, seventeen years before the series opens. Robert has ruled as King ever since, but when the series opens his rule is increasingly undermined by other factions. At the same time, the only two known surviving Targaryen children, Viserys and Daenerys, having grown to adulthood in exile on the eastern continent of Essos, are now planning to return to Westeros and retake the Iron Throne, and to this end are seeking military alliances with other factions. As both civil war and an external invasion threaten Westeros, another danger arises in the lands to the far north, beyond the vast Wall that forms the realm's northern border, where an apocalyptic threat, believed for millennia to be mythical, seems to be stirring eons of sleep. The only defence lies with the Night's Watch, an undermanned, underfunded order once held in honour but now used as a dumping ground for criminals and exiles. Plot Season 1 Spanning over a period of several months, the first season begins with the unified Seven Kingdoms of Westeros as the long summer ends and winter draws near. Lord Eddard Stark, Warden of the North and Lord of Winterfell, is asked by his old friend King Robert Baratheon, to serve as the new Hand of the King following the death of the previous incumbent, Eddard and Robert's mentor Lord Jon Arryn. Lord Eddard's son Bran is crippled and an attempt is made on his life, leading Lady Catelyn to suspect Lord Tyrion Lannister, the Imp, is responsible. Eddard is reluctant but receives intelligence suggesting that Jon Arryn was murdered. Eddard accepts Robert's offer, planning to use his position and authority to investigate the alleged murder, with his main suspects being those of House Lannister, including Queen Cersei Lannister and her brother Ser Jaime Lannister. Meanwhile, on the eastern continent of Essos, the exiled children of House Targaryen, which Robert destroyed to claim the Iron Throne, are plotting to return to Westeros and unseat the 'usurper'. To this end, Prince Viserys Targaryen arranges the marriage of his sister Daenerys to Khal Drogo, the leader of 40,000 Dothraki warriors, in return for the use of his warriors in invading Westeros. For her part, Daenerys seeks only to find a safe refuge far away from King Robert's assassins and her brother's scheming ambition. Finally, on the northern-most border of the Seven Kingdoms the sworn brothers of the Night's Watch guard the Wall, a 300-mile-long colossal fortification of ice which has stood for thousands of years. The Watch defends the Wall against the depredations of the lawless wildlings who live beyond, but rumor speaks of a new threat arising in the Lands of Always Winter. Season 2 The Seven Kingdoms are at war, with the King in the North, Robb Stark, fighting to win independence for his people and those of the Riverlands. Robb decides that he must win the allegiance of the fiercely independent Ironborn to his cause, and sends his best friend Theon Greyjoy to treat with his father, Lord Balon Greyjoy, who is hatching plans of his own. Meanwhile, King Joffrey Baratheon holds the Iron Throne with the backing of the powerful House Lannister, while Tyrion Lannister has returned to King's Landing to take matters in hand as acting Hand of the King, only to face opposition from his scheming sister, Cersei, now the Queen Regent. In the Reach, Robert Baratheon's youngest brother, Renly, has also claimed the throne with the support of House Tyrell, whose armies are much larger. However, there is yet another faction entering the picture, led by Robert and Renly's other brother, Stannis Baratheon, who has now also claimed the Iron Throne, his legal right. A proven battle commander and veteran of several wars, Stannis is known to be utterly without mercy to his enemies and will do what is right even if it destroys him. Advising him is Melisandre, an enigmatic priestess from the Eastern continent of Essos, who believes Stannis is meant for a greater destiny, and soon, King's Landing will be under siege from Stannis and his army. In the distant north, the Night's Watch has mounted an expedition beyond the Wall, searching for missing rangers and investigating rumours of wildlings gathering in the mountains. For Jon Snow this will be a rite of passage as he is asked to make difficult choices, for the realm and for himself. Far to the east, Daenerys Targaryen is now raising her three hatched dragons, Drogon, Rhaegal and Viserion, and seeks to protect them. With Khal Drogo's Khalasar now gone, Daenerys and her small band of followers must find a way across a forbidding wasteland and find new allies to support her claim to the Iron Throne. Season 3 Autumn has fallen across the world, with winter is not far behind. The people of Westeros should be preparing for the years of winter, but the War of the Five Kings is still brewing. Would-be king, Renly Baratheon, has been assassinated, and the Rightful King, Stannis Baratheon, has suffered a damning defeat in King's Landing, and an alliance between House Lannister and House Tyrell has been cemented. King Joffrey Baratheon still reigns in King's Landing, with his grandfather Lord Tywin Lannister now serving as Hand of the King. Meanwhile, King Robb Stark of the North remains a threat to the Iron Throne, and with his homeland partially under ironborn occupation by the actions of Theon Greyjoy, Robb has one every battle, but he needs to decide on a course of action to win an overall victory. He must also win back the allegiance of House Frey, whom he has offended by breaking his marriage pact with. The lives of many others still hang in the balance. Bran Stark and his protectors must cross the frozen wastelands of the North to reach the Wall, while Arya must brave the war-torn Riverlands in search of her mother and brother. Beyond the Wall, the White Walkers are on the move, threatening both the Seven Kingdoms and the lands of the Free Folk. While the Night's Watch faces the threat of the White Walkers in the field, Jon Snow must infiltrate the wildling army of Mance Rayder and discover the King-Beyond-the-Wall's plans. Stannis Baratheon may have been defeated, and his army scattered, but he is not out of the fight yet. Having retreated to his headquarters on the island of Dragonstone with a handful of survivers, Stannis' status as the last legitimate heir to his older brother Robert still casts a shadow over Joffrey's claim to the throne. With the priestess Melisandre at his side, Stannis can still influence the course of the war by striking where least expected. Brienne of Tarth also has the thankless task of escorting the captive Jaime Lannister home across hundreds of miles of battlefields and carnage. Theon Greyjoy must face the consequences of his actions at Winterfell. And in King's Landing both Tyrion Lannister and Sansa Stark must brave the currents of a much more dangerous court in order to survive. On the eastern continent of Essos, Daenerys Targaryen has fled the political viper-pit of Qarth. Her dragons are growing and her fame is spreading, but to take the Iron Throne she will need supporters and an army. Both may be found in the corrupt cities of Slaver's Bay... for a price. Season 4 The War of the Five Kings seems to be drawing to a close, but new intrigues and plots are in motion, and the surviving factions must contend with enemies not only outside their ranks, but within. King in the North Robb Stark is dead, betrayed by his own bannermen, the Boltons, with the aid of House Frey during the wedding of Lord Edmure Rully, now known as the Red Wedding. As reward for their betrayal, Lord Roose Bolton now rules as the new Warden of the North, but needs to secure his hold of the kingdom by re-taking Moat Cailin from the Ironborn. Roose's bastard Ramsay Snow holds Theon Greyjoy hostage, horribly torturing him at whim, but Balon Greyjoy considers his son as good as dead. Having already defeated Stannis Baratheon at the Battle of the Blackwater and securing southern Westeros, House Lannister stands triumphant in King's Landing. King Joffrey Baratheon claims these victories, though the victories truly belong to his grandfather, Lord Tywin Lannister, Hand of the King and the real power behind the Iron Throne. The Lannisters are still allied with House Tyrell, and with them, the Reach, which they won through promising a marriage-alliance between King Joffrey and Margaery Tyrell, daughter of Lord Mace Tyrell. Queen Regent Cersei Lannister fears - correctly - that just as the Baratheons became dependent on the Lannisters after Robert's Rebellion, the Lannisters are starting to become dependent on the Tyrells, who are already insinuating themselves into positions of power at King's Landing. A royal wedding is to be held between Joffrey and Margaery, which will confirm the future of the realm. `Meanwhile, Stannis Baratheon, as the rightful heir to his older brother King Robert, still refuses to surrender, despite having only the remnants of an army. The only kingdoms which have remained entirely aloof from the war so far are the Vale of Arryn and Dorne. While Lysa Arryn chose to remain neutral, former Master of Coin and new Lord of Harrenhal, Petyr Baelish, has been sent by Lord Tywin to marry her, now that he's a high lord and a suitable match for the Lady Regent of the Vale. Nevertheless only Littlefinger knows what Littlefinger is plotting. For their own part, House Martell of Dorne has loathed the Lannisters ever since the Sack of King's Landing, when Ser Gregor Clegane raped and killed Elia Martell - sister of Doran Martell, the ruling Prince of Dorne and Prince Oberyn - and Lord Tywin did nothing to punish him. During the War of the Five Kings Tyrion Lannister prevented Dorne from declaring for any of House Lannister's enemies by sending Princess Myrcella to Sunspear as part of her betrothal to Prince Trystane Martell, and in return, the Martells were promised a seat on the Small Council. To the consternation of the Lannisters, a large Dornish embassy arrives in King's Landing to secure this promise - but instead of the elderly Prince Doran, his younger brother Prince Oberyn comes to claim the council seat in his stead. Oberyn loves a great deal of ladies and men, but most of all he loved his sister Elia, and the Lannisters will learn that they aren't the only ones who pay their debts. * Meanwhile, across the Narrow Sea in Slaver's Bay, perhaps the greatest threat to Lannister rule is rapidly growing in strength. Daenerys Targaryen now commands not just three live dragons - who are starting to grow large enough to serve as decisive weapons of war - but also an army of eight thousand Unsullied warrior-eunuchs. For now, Queen Daenerys is carving a path through Slaver's Bay - not of conquest but of liberation. As functionally once a slave herself, Daenerys is determined to free the downtrodden slaves of the region. First Astapor and then Yunkaifell before Daenerys's forces, and hundreds of thousands of freed slaves now flock to her banner. Yet Daenerys must now face the last and greatest of the slaver-cities, Meereen - and unlike her previous victories, they have had time to prepare for her arrival. * Far to the north, beyond the politics and meaningless feuds of the south, the Wall and the dwindling Night's Watchare all that stand between the Seven Kingdoms and the horrors beyond. The White Walkers have emerged in force, leading their armies of wights. The wildlings have rallied behind King-Beyond-the-Wall Mance Rayder in an attempt to flee south, knowing that as the White Walkers advance, anyone who remain in the lands beyond the Wall will die and become part of the undead host. Mance's wildling army now numbers in the tens of thousands, and is determined to force its way through the Wall to reach the safety of the south. All that stands between the Seven Kingdoms and this barbarian invasion is the Night's Watch, whose numbers and leadership were recently devastated with the deaths of a third of their number and that of Lord Commander Jeor Mormont. Jon Snow and Samwell Tarly do what they can to prepare Castle Black for the massive wildling attack. * Not only are the Night's Watch outnumbered and their remaining leadership fractured, but advanced raiding bands of wildlings have infiltrated behind the Wall by climbing over it, preparing to attack the weakly defended southern side of Castle Black. These warbands are led by Tormund and the fearsome Styr, Magnar of Thenn - as well as Jon Snow's ex-lover Ygritte, whom he betrayed when he revealed his true loyalty and returned to the Night's Watch. * In the Seven Kingdoms, while House Stark stands on the verge of extinction - and is believed to be just that by the realm at large - four "lone wolves" fight to survive: Sansa Stark remains a hostage of the Iron Throne and a forced marriage to Tyrion Lannister, Rickon Stark seeks the safety of Last Hearth and the fiercely loyal House Umber, Bran Stark and his companions Hodor, Jojen and Meera Reed have crossed the Wall chasing a vision, and Arya Stark, having lost everything and forced to rely on the protection of a man she hates, clings to survival and her thirst for vengeance. Season 5 The War of the Five Kings, once thought to be drawing to a close, is instead entering a new and more chaotic phase. Westeros is on the brink of collapse, and many are seizing what they can while the realm implodes, like a corpse making a feast for crows. Cersei refuses to share her plans With Tywin dead and Tyrion gone, Queen Regent Cersei is now Head of House Lannister and tasked with the burden of continuing her father's legacy. Tywin Lannister is dead, shot on the privy by his long-abused dwarf son Tyrion. The crazed boy-king Joffrey Baratheon, Tywin's grandson, is also dead after being poisoned at his own wedding, and succeeded by his younger and more pliable brother, Tommen. Queen Cersei Lannister succeeds her father as the head of House Lannister, and once again takes over as Queen Regent, as Tommen has yet to come of age. Cersei has been blocked by several powerful men over the years, including her husband King Robert Baratheon and his friend Eddard Stark, but due to her betrayals they are both dead. Now with even Tywin and Joffrey dead, and Tyrion fleeing the realm, there are no more checks on Cersei's power, and she is essentially the Ruling Queen of the Seven Kingdoms in all but name. However, Cersei is neither a master strategist nor a skilled diplomat (unlike her father and brother) and she faces mounting crises that would have strained even their abilities. House Lannister and its allies have managed to crush House Stark, but in many ways it was a pyrrhic victory. The Iron Throne was already in massive debt to foreign banks before the war even began, and the Lannisters' immense wartime spending increased the crown's debts to crippling levels. The Lannisters must now desperately attempt to placate the Iron Bank of Braavos, by far the largest of the foreign banks, and the one which the crown owes most of its huge debts to. Houndaryarideaway The Riverlands have been reduced to a burned-out wasteland by the war. The game of thrones is, unfortunately, not a simple game of cyvasse in which the pieces can be quickly reassembled: vast swathes of Westeros have been devastated by civil war, and it may take a full generation for them to rebuild. The Riverlands, where most of the war was fought, have been reduced to a burned out husk. Nominally the Lannisters and their House Frey allies control the Riverlands, but it has been reduced to a lawless and corpse-filled devastation, hardly controlled by anyone. Winter is fast approaching, but instead of stockpiling harvests the past few years, the great lords have been busy destroying one of the main breadbasket regions of the Seven Kingdoms. Combined with the realm's massive debts to foreign banks, starvation level conditions are starting to set in for the smallfolk across the realm. Outraged by the willful indifference of their rulers to their well-being for so long, commoners are starting to fall back onto old cultural touchstones, channeling their frustration into religious fanaticism. A popular disgust movement spreads across Westeros, and makes its way to the capital. Margaery wearing Cersei style clothes in Season 5 A power-struggle is growing between Cersei Lannister and Margaery Tyrell, now married to King Tommen. Adding to these woes is the increasing rivalry between the Lannisters and their Tyrell allies, specifically between Cersei and Margaery Tyrell. The Lannisters only managed to win on the battlefield with the armies and food resources won by their alliance with the House Tyrell of the Reach. Now that Tywin is dead, and Margaery is soon to be King Tommen's queen, the Tyrells are no longer pretending to be polite to the Lannisters, but openly demanding greater concessions and key positions of power. With half of the Lannister armies slaughtered by Robb Stark during the war, their financial resources depleted, and the Tyrells controlling the only major breadbasket region untouched by the war, the Lannisters are having to face the reality that the Tyrells hold numerous advantages over them. Just as Robert Baratheon became king only to become dependent on the support of the Lannisters, the Lannisters have now become dependant on the Tyrells. Tyrion and Varys in Pentos Tyrion and Varys flee to the Free Cities after Tyrion kills Tywin. Without the political acumen of Tywin or Tyrion, Queen Regent Cersei struggles to address these major challenges. Adding even further to her woes is that the king's Small Council has been gutted, with Hand of the King Tywin dead, Master of Coin Petyr Baelish leaving for the Eyrie, and both Tyrion and Master of Whisperers Varys fleeing the capital city. Of the original Small Council when the Lannisters first seized power, only Grand Maester Pycelle remains. Besides the Reach, only the regions which have remained neutral so far still have all of their armies and resources intact: the Vale, ruled by House Arryn, and Dorne, ruled by House Martell. With nearly all the other Great Houses defeated or half-exhausted, the fresh armies of the Vale and Dorne can drastically alter the political playing field, depending on which side they choose to join. Littlefinger and Alayne Season 5 trailer Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish, the true catalyst of the Stark-Lannister war, now rules as regent of the Vale, gathering his strength - and joined by his ward "Alayne". The ultimate result of the war was to exhaust the Starks, Lannisters, and other Great Houses of the Seven Kingdoms - exactly as Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish had planned. The secret architect of the conflict, it was Littlefinger who was responsible for poisoning Robert's Hand, Jon Arryn, by conspiring with his own wife Lysa Arryn. Littlefinger then engineered the betrayal of Eddard Stark, only to later assist Olenna Tyrell in assassinating King Joffrey at his own wedding. Baelish has now murdered Lysa, mere days after wedding her, and seized power over the Vale as regent for her young son. For the moment, Baelish remains in the Vale, consolidating his new hold over the Vale lords through his stepson Robin and his position as Lord Protector of the Vale. Alongside Baelish is the black-haired "Alayne", his ward and "niece" - secretly, Sansa Stark, who fell into Littlefinger's custody after he helped her escape her long imprisonment at Joffrey's royal court. Doran, Ellaria, Areo & Sand Snakes The Dornishmen are furious over the death of Oberyn Martell in a duel with Gregor Clegane. Sand Snakes send Cersei Myrcella's lion pendant Oberyn's daughters threaten Cersei by sending her a dead viper with her daughter Myrcella's lion pendant stuffed in its mouth. In the deserts of the deep south of Westeros, the people of Dorne demand vengeance for the death of Prince Oberyn, who died in a trial by combat at the hands of Ser Gregor Clegane. Leading the call to enter the war against the Lannisters are Oberyn's paramour, Ellaria Sand, and the eldest of his eight daughters: Obara, Nymeria, and Tyene. But Doran Martell, the Prince of Dorne and Oberyn's older brother, continues to urge restraint. Further complicating the matter is that early in the war, the Lannisters bribed the Martells into staying neutral by offering a marriage-alliance, sending Cersei's daughter Myrcella to Dorne to betroth her to Doran's son Trystane. Myrcella is still a ward living in Dorne's capital, Sunspear. Stannis attacks King Stannis Baratheon's forces unexpectedly arrived at the Wall to save the Night's Watch from Mance Rayder. The most dire situation in Westeros, however, is in the North and at the Wall. The massive assault against Castle Black by the wildling army of Mance Rayder was defeated at the last moment by the surprise arrival of Stannis Baratheon and his remaining forces. Stannis withdrew from his island stronghold Dragonstone to reach the Wall by sea, to defend the realm of which he feels he is the only rightful king. With his home territories in the Stormlands overrun, Stannis needs to win the allegiance of Robb Stark's defeated bannermen, to rally the North again as a springboard against Lannister rule, as well as the support of Jon Snow, who therefore must walk a political tightrope between Stannis and his vows, since the Night's Watch is sworn to strict political neutrality. Though the battle against the wildlings is all but over, the Night's Watch is in its own dire conditions. With almost all of the Watch's top officers either killed or missing, among them Lord Commander Jeor Mormont and First Ranger Benjen Stark, the organization has been left leaderless during this time of crisis, and therefore will have to navigate a contentious election for a new Lord Commander. All the while, the White Walkers and their ever-growing army of the dead are bearing down on the Wall itself, intent on spilling over it to destroy the lands of men beyond, who remain ignorant of the long-forgotten but all-too-real danger. Red wedding roose robb Roose Bolton personally killed Robb Stark at the Red Wedding, and was appointed the new Warden of the North as a reward. Snow Roose's sociopathic son Ramsay is now Lord of Winterfell under his father, and has "remade" Theon Greyjoy into his broken servant, Reek. The main armies of the Northern Houses, however, were slaughtered in the south at the Red Wedding, and the large main army of House Bolton has just returned to the North following the recapture of Moat Cailin. The Boltons switched to the Lannister side during the betrayal at the Red Wedding, during which their leader Lord Roose Bolton personally killed Robb Stark, and they have been installed as the new rulers of the North in the name of King Tommen and the Lannisters. With the other Northern Houses defeated and weakened, the Lannister-backed Bolton army can now suppress any feeble opposition to their rule. Meanwhile, Roose's sociopathic bastard son Ramsay Snow - now legitimized as Ramsay Bolton - is the new Lord of Winterfell under his father, reoccupying the castle which he personally burned out previously. With the Boltons in power, Ramsay is now free to commit numerous atrocities throughout the North, such as flaying men alive and hunting and killing young women for sport. However, the struggle for the North is not yet over. Various areas of the North's western coast are still held by ironborn invaders under Balon Greyjoy, who chose to crown himself as King of the Iron Islands and attack the North during Robb Stark's march south rather than ally with him against the Lannisters. Balon's son and heir, Theon, who himself was a ward of Lord Eddard Stark and one of Robb's closest advisors, turned on the Starks and led the assault himself but was betrayed by his own men and is now a prisoner of the Boltons, having been brutally flayed, tortured, and psychologically broken by Ramsay himself, who has reduced Theon to his personal slave, "Reek". Stannis Baratheon in Castle Black with Jon Snow Jon must deal not only with the Watch but also with Stannis. Aemon part of jon s judging The Night's Watch faces a difficult election for a new Lord Commander. Titan of Braavos The Free City of Braavos. East of Westeros, after murdering his own father, Tyrion Lannister has fled across the Narrow Sea to the Free Cities, his future intentions unknown even to himself. Accompanied by Varys, he arrives in the east, unaware that the erstwhile Master of Whisperers might yet have secrets to reveal. Further north, meanwhile, representatives from the Iron Throne travel to the Free City of Braavos to assuage the Iron Bank's frustrations about all of the money the Lannisters owe. Unbeknownst to all, Arya Stark has also fled to Braavos, due to a favor she was owed for saving the life of one of the mysterious guild of assassins in Braavos known as the Faceless Men. Dany dragon S4 Daenerys Targaryen has been forced to chain up her uncontrollable dragons. Dragons imprisoned The dragons chained in a cavern underneath Meereen. Further east in Slaver's Bay, Daenerys Targaryen's hold over Meereen has become very precarious, as ruling the city is becoming much more difficult than conquering it was. Sectarian violence is rampant between the former slaves and former slave-masters, revenge attacks are on the rise, and the resurgent slavers at Yunkai are rallying all those who oppose her. Daenerys's three dragons, now growing to dangerous size, have become uncontrollable and she can no longer rely upon them to defeat her enemies on the battlefield. Drogon burned a child to death while he was hunting and fled the city, forcing Daenerys to chain up the remaining two dragons in the caverns underneath the city. In addition, Daenerys is still distraught over the recent revelations concerning her once-trusted advisor Jorah Mormont, whom she exiled from the city as punishment. Her remaining advisors Ser Barristan Selmy, Missandei, and the sellsword Daario Naharis attempt to help hold her reign together. Dany Season 5 GOT HBO Daenerys remains Queen of Meereen. But unbeknownst to Daenerys, word has finally spread to Westeros that the last living Targaryen heir has hatched three live dragons. No longer a mere curiosity halfway across the world, several different factions in Westeros are now pondering how Daenerys and her dragons will factor into the already confusing and multi-sided civil war still tearing the Seven Kingdoms apart. Envoys are beginning to head east to court Daenerys's allegiance: but those who try to dance with dragons run the risk of being burned. Season 6 Season 7 Season 8 Season 9 Season 10 Cast Great Houses House Stark of Winterfell * [[Sean Bean|'Sean Bean']] as Lord [[Ned Stark|'Eddard "Ned" Stark']], Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North * [[Michelle Fairley|'Michelle Fairley']] as Lady [[Catelyn Stark|'Catelyn Stark']], wife of Eddard Stark and Lady of Winterfell. Eldest daughter of Lord Hoster Tully. * [[Richard Madden|'Richard Madden']] as [[Robb Stark|'Robb Stark']], Lord Eddard's eldest son and heir. Later King in the North * [[Sophie Turner|'Sophie Turner']] as [[Sansa Stark|'Sansa Stark']], Lord Eddard's eldest daughter. * [[Maisie Williams|'Maisie Williams']] as [[Arya Stark|'Arya Stark']], Lord Eddard's youngest daughter. * [[Isaac Hempstead-Wright|'Isaac Hempstead-Wright']] as [[Bran Stark|'Bran Stark']], Lord Eddard's middle son. * [[Art Parkinson|'Art Parkinson']] as [[Rickon Stark|'Rickon Stark']], Lord Eddard's youngest son. * [[Kit Harington|'Kit Harington']] as [[Jon Snow|'Jon Snow']], Lord Eddard's "bastard son". Later Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. * [[Joseph Mawle|'Joseph Mawle']] as [[Benjen Stark|'Benjen Stark']], Lord Eddard's younger brother. Serving as First Ranger of the Night's Watch. House Lannister of Casterly Rock * [[Charles Dance|'Charles Dance']] as Lord [[Tywin Lannister|'Tywin Lannister']], Lord of Casterly Rock and Warden of the West. * [[Lena Headey|'Lena Headey']] as Queen [[Cersei Lannister|'Cersei Lannister']], Eldest daughter and child of Lord Tywin, wife and widow of King Robert Baratheon, and mother of Joffrey, Myrcella and Tommen Baratheon * [[Nikolaj Coster-Waldau|'Nikolaj Coster-Waldau']] as Ser [[Jaime Lannister|'Jaime Lannister']], eldest son a knight of the Kingsguard, twin brother of Cersei and the true father of Joffrey, Myrcella and Tommen. * [[Peter Dinklage|'Peter Dinklage']] as Lord [[Tyrion Lannister|'Tyrion Lannister']], Cersei and Jaime's younger brother, called the Imp for his dwarfism. Currently in exile. * [[Ian Gelder|'Ian Gelder']] as Ser [[Kevan Lannister|'Kevan Lannister']], Lord Tywin's younger brother and closest adviser. * [[Eugene Simon|'Eugene Simon']] as [[Lancel Lannister|'Lancel Lannister']], Ser Kevan's son, a squire to King Robert. * [[Karl Davies|'Karl Davies']] as [[Alton Lannister|'Alton Lannister']], a distant cousin of the main branch of the family. House Tully of Riverrun House Arryn of the Eyrie House Tyrell of Highgarden House Baratheon of Storm's End House Martell or Sunspear House Greyjoy of Pyke Production history Episodes